About Blueprint365

Empowering Diverse Voices through Engaging Journalism

Blueprint365 is a multicultural and multiethnic digital-first business publication. We believe everyone’s story deserves to be told with authenticity. Our focus is on business, and the influencers, entrepreneurs, leaders, economics and finance in and around communities of color. That means we’re your source for news, information, and advice on workforce, workplaces, corporations, executives, trends and more, from the perspective of inclusion and innovation – all critical to a thriving economy.
Henry Sanders Jr.
CEO & Publisher

Meet the Team

Henry Sanders Jr.

For nearly twenty years, 365 Media Fondation CEO Henry Sanders has been a force for community development, economic development, and entrepreneurship in the Madison area, in Wisconsin, and throughout the Midwest. Henry is the CEO of 365 Media Foundation, the Midwest’s top media organization for communities of color, as well as the diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm 365Nation.

A 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, 365Media Foundation owns and operates the online news outlets Madison365, created to keep communities of color informed and to tell stories from the perspectives of people of color, and Blueprint365. 365 Media Foundation reaches an average of one million people per month, has been locally and nationally recognized for outstanding journalism, and has served as a national model for successful revenue generation as a non-profit media outlet.

Henry’s work at the City of Madison’s Equal Opportunity Commission led to becoming the Outreach Director for US Rep. and now US Sen. Tammy Baldwin, whom he continues to advise on issues related to economic development, diversity and inclusion.

As Vice President of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Henry started the Small Business Advisory Council, Latino Chamber of Commerce and the Black Chamber of Commerce. He is the founder of the young professionals organization Madison Area Growth Network (MAGNET), Madison Network of Black Professionals, and Capacity 360, a government relations firm that brought more than $15 million to Wisconsin businesses. In 2011, Henry was appointed by the Obama Administration as the Regional Advocate for the Office of Advocacy’s Region V, covering the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In this role he served as the Office of Advocacy’s direct link to small business owners, state and local government agencies, state legislators, trade associations, and small business organizations.

In 2018, Henry was named InBusiness Magazine’s 2018 Startup Company Executive of the Year, was given the Amigo Award by LaMovida Radio and was named Outstanding Experiential Learning Host by the Madison Metropolitan School District for allowing students to attend the Wisconsin Leadership Summit. 365Media has been recognized by the Black Chamber of Commerce and the Black Women’s Leadership Council as the Media Outlet of the Year and by the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County with a Hearts for Helping Mover Award for DEI Excellence. Henry also served as Vice President of the Group Health Cooperative of South-Central Wisconsin Board of Directors and chaired its Membership Advisory Council.

Robert Chappell

Robert Chappell (Executive Editor & Associate Publisher, It’s Only 10 Minutes podcast co-host) began his professional journalism career at the age of 15, covering village government for the Mount Horeb Mail in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. He worked as editor of the Fennimore Times and associate editor of Madison Magazine. He later served Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton as communications director and worked in strategic communications in nonprofit, arts and entertainment and local government sectors for several years.

Twitter: @RobChappell365

 

Omar Waheed

Omar Waheed is a full-time reporter with 365 Media, focused on business reporting for Blueprint365. A native of Milwaukee, he earned a degree in business from Iowa State University and has worked as a reporter for the Des Moines Register and New York Times. 

 

Isaac Trussoni

Isaac Trussoni is a full-time reporter with 365 Media. He is from Genoa, Wisconsin and has been in the Madison area for almost a decade. Isaac’s interests are in culture, Black life and politics, people working to uplift community, and music. He is looking forward to sharing stories and elevating voices to bring about a more diverse image of Madison and Wisconsin. 

 

India McMiller

India McMiller is a freelance journalist, covering individuals and events within and surrounding the Milwaukee area. She is a 2017 graduate of Loyola University Chicago, where she majored in Journalism with a double minor in Photography and Studio Art. During her studies, she served as Editorial Contributor for MADE Magazine, a publication for millennials of color. She enjoys sharing the stories of community members and shining a light on the growth and accomplishments of people of color.

 

Brennan Nardi

Brennan Nardi has been a Madison-area journalist for nearly 25 years. After receiving a master’s in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she joined Madison Magazine as an associate editor in 2000 and served as editor from 2005-2015. She was communications director for Madison Community Foundation from 2015-2019. After three years running the family business, Harmony Bar and Grill, Nardi is excited to return to her roots as a columnist for Madison365 and freelance writer for Blueprint365. 

 

Jill Gade

Jill Gade (Director of Business Development) graduated from Edgewood College with Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Management and Marketing while working for Ameritech Cellular. That is where she first met Henry Sanders and began her career and professional training. Over the course of the next 25 years she has become a passionate and enthusiastic sales expert with extensive experience in account management, retail management, customer service, staffing and nonprofit fundraising.

Outside of work Jill is married, has two daughters and enjoys volunteering. She has served; St. Paul Lutheran School on the PTO and as a Dance Coach for six years, Lake Mills Library Scholastic Fundraiser for five years, Willowbrook Nursing Home for eight years, Lake View Elementary Food Pantry over the last year and currently is currently serving as the “Special Needs Coordinator” at Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church. 

Stephanie Díaz de León

Stephanie Díaz de León (Director of Outreach and Engagement) is a proven professional in outreach, engagement and workplace diversity. She is the lead planner and designer of the Wisconsin Leadership Summit, the state’s premier professional development and community-building event for the state’s leaders of color. She has also served on the Engagement, Inclusion and Diversity Committee at the Wisconsin Union and the Engagement, Inclusion and Diversity Council for the University of Wisconsin, and was a member of the University of Wisconsin’s Latino Staff and Faculty Association. She has overseen and executed many of the Wisconsin Union’s major events, including Diversity Forum every year since 2015, the Memorial Union’s reopening, the grand opening of the new Union South and many more.